Hello!

Although I've browsed these forums before, I've just today created an account and hope to be able to contribute to and learn more from the great resources here.

We currently have two Camrys in our stable: a '98 CE 2.2 5-speed with about 275k and a '90 DX 2.0 auto with about 217k.

The '98 I bought in 2010 with about 160k after specifically searching for a 3rd or 4th gen with the 5SFE and 5-speed manual. I ended up finding a CE base model, manual windows and locks and all, that was properly maintained and it has turned out to be the best car I've ever owned in terms of reliability & build quality, and as a major plus its also one of the easiest cars to work on that I've seen. Always gets 32mpg+ on the highway and still rides very smooth with no creaks or rattles. Idles perfectly and is every bit as powerful as the day I bought it. All the window and door seals are still holding up strong, no wind noise with the windows up, etc. I'm impressed on every road trip how comfortable and efficient a of this age with this kind of mileage can be. Other than routine maintenance and timing belt replacement at 250k, the car hasn't needed much and the only unexpected failure was the oil pump at somewhere around 220k (it was the original). I plan to keep this car on the road for as long as it is willing, and from what I can tell that will be a long time still and well in excess of 300k.

The '90 I just bought at the beginning of August for my partner and we've put about 8k on it since then. A change in her job meant needing her own transportation, so I began the search for...another Camry. We had a very small budget and I looked around for a while hoping to get lucky with a 3rd gen but ultimately found this 2nd gen in really good shape that drove nice and straight and had a lot of major items replaced within the last 5k miles. The downside was it had been sitting for a while which meant it needed new tires and some fluids changed out. At $800 I decided to pull the trigger. I immediately changed the oil and had the tires replaced since I was driving the car from San Diego to New Mexico, and crossed my fingers that everything else would be okay as long as I took it easy. Turns out the alternator died on me during this first trip (which was a whole crazy experience that I'll have to write about elsewhere), fortunately on these cars its easy to replace, and O'Reilly lets you borrow tools thank goodness! Since getting the car to NM, I've replaced the radiator hoses, thermostat & coolant, and replaced cap/rotor, spark plugs and wires. Still planning to drain and refill the transaxle and differential, and a few other things on the list. However, on our last trip returning from California a more pressing issue presented itself which ultimately resulted in us getting towed back home the last 97 miles. I'm quite certain its a fuel issue and will be trying to get it figured out this week. Basically the car started sputtering under anything more than very subtle acceleration (but cruised just fine and climbed just fine as well so long as the overdrive was off). When we stopped it didn't want to start easily and once it did it would sputter as soon as it was put into gear and asked to accelerate. With very gentle modulation of the throttle I was able to get it back on the highway several times (where it once again would cruise fine every time), but eventually it failed to start back up, fortunately within range of home that we could get towed by AAA. So that is my project for this week, I'm going to start with the fuel filter but may be asking for some help from you all if that doesn't do it!

I realize this turned out to be a long post and I'm not sure if anyone is still reading, but if you are...thanks for reading! I'm glad to have finally joined the forums here and look forward to giving and receiving help regarding these great cars!

Cheers!

-Andy

 

Welcome to CF.

The engine compartments can fuel filter seldom plugs up. If the car has been sitting for a time check the fuel tank for debris and water, and fuel pump sock on pump for plugging.

The distributor coil for these years tends to crack or have other problems. Such as hard starting, missing and issues when it rains. Check ign system including plug wires.

 

Thanks Joey.

I'll check for spark before doing anything else. I just recently replaced plugs/wires and cap, & the distributor was replaced within 5k of purchasing the car, so I was ruling out ignition as the problem but it sounds like the best place to start if it is unlikely to be the fuel filter under the hood. It felt like a fuel issue but I understand ignition issues can feel similar.

I thought the fuel pump could be accessed from under the rear seat but it looks like the tank has to be dropped on this model? I'm sure hoping to avoid that...

Although the car was sitting for a bit before purchase, we've put about 8k miles since August. As such do you think moisture or debris in the gas tank could be ruled out as an issue, or still possible?

Thanks for the help! I'll update with my progress, which may be slow going as it has been snowing and I don't have a garage...

 

One other thing I should mention. This seems extremely unlikely to be the problem, but this issue appeared within a few miles of topping off the car with premium (91), which we never do, but the cashier accidentally rang it up as premium and I didn't feel like going back in at the time to change it. Normally we fuel up with 85-87 depending where we are (we're at 6500' elevation here in NM).

I'd be very surprised if this had anything to do with it, but it still kept crossing my mind trying to get home that night, and I feel like I ought to mention it.

Pure coincidence?

 

Premium fuel is not going to be an issue.

Check the engine coolant sensor for the ECU. If bad it could cause fuel mixture issues.

 

Thanks! Is that the coolant temp sensor located near the upper radiator hose? There is another in the thermostat housing but I believe that one is for the fans, is that correct?

As you suggested I checked ignition and seem to have good spark. I removed the cap and did find a tad bit of oil but not so much that I would think this is the problem. Regardless I wiped it clean and reinstalled.

Today I tried starting it and it fired up like normal. I let it warm up but not all the way and went for a quick test drive to see if symptoms were still showing. At first they seemed to be minimal but it did still sputter when I depressed the throttle generously. As I turned around to head back home I came to a stop and it was idling rough and took very careful throttle modulation to take off. And from there on the symptoms were fully there....seems to be worse once the car is fully warmed up.

After letting it sit for a little bit I started it again and it was idling normal. With a light-to-moderate touch on the throttle it will rev just fine, but push the pedal hard and it sputters. I don't know if any of this information might provide any more clues.

I'll definitely check the coolant temp sensor and have a question regarding this. The temp gauge is (I'm pretty sure) accurate. The thermostat became stuck open a couple thousand miles ago (which is why I replaced it) and the temperature gauge definitely reflected when the car was running cool, and has indicated proper temperature range from start-up to fully warm since. Does the temp sensor send separate signals to gauge and ecu? Sorry if this is a silly question.

Thanks for the help.

 

Okay I found the proper water temp sensor, the one next to the cold start injector. Unfortunately my ohmmeter has decided it doesn't want to work anymore so I can't test the resistance yet. I did unplug the sensor once the car was warmed up and it made no difference. (is it true that with the sensor unplugged the ECU assumes the car is fully warm? if so then it would appear this isn't the issue)

Could similar symptoms be caused by a bad O2 sensor?

I should also mention that about a month ago, the CEL came on and showed code 26 (fuel mixture too rich). After clearing it, it came back again a few days later and then about a week later, but hasn't showed up again since. I hadn't really (though probably should have) considered that this might be related.

 

Below is the list of items for Code 26:

Water temp sensor
Injector circuit
Injector
Fuel line pressure
Air flow meter
Cold start injector
ECU

The cold start injector injects fuel when the coolant is cold at engine start up and turns off via a timer.

The air flow meter can be checked with an ohm meter.

Pick up some service info. Search on line files or get a Haynes manual.

 

Thanks again Joey,

Problem (sort of) solved! Its either the cold start injector or the cold start injector timer switch. My ohmmeter is broken (& too tight on cash to purchase a new one til next paycheck), but with the cold start injector unplugged the problem has vanished.

My question now is, until I can determine whether its the injector or the switch, do I plug it in briefly for easier cold morning starts and then unplug, or could this risk the valve getting stuck open if it is the injector and not the switch? Or perhaps one is more likely to fail than the other?

FWIW, I did pick up a Haynes manual but there is very little information on the the cold start injection, in fact it does not even discuss the timer switch (it is shown in a diagram but that is all). It does list specs for testing the injector and advises to replace if out of spec...but thats it. I did find specs for testing the timer switch at autozone, so hopefully I'll be good to go once I have a functioning ohmmeter.

Any advice I ought to heed in the meantime?

Thanks a ton.

EDIT: Problem showed back up. Not aaas bad but still something bad going on. Does seem CSI unplugged helped, but maybe simply because the extra fuel at start up exacerbated the real issue.

 

@toyomoho, your first assumption turned out to be correct. I finally got hold of another ohmmeter and the coil tested bad. Got lucky at the junkyard - found a clean car that had been rear-ended, so I tested the coil and walked away with the whole original distributor (even cap/wires) for $37 and our gen2 is now running lovely, we've put about 120 miles on since the replace so I can conclusively say that this problem is solved! Can't say how long this distro/coil will hold up (the donor car had 150k) but can't beat it for the kind of tight budget I'm running.

Thanks for the input Joey P.